Chelsea and Newcastle stars named in gang rape case

Chelsea striker Carlton Cole and Newcastle defender Titus Bramble were yesterday named as the two football premiership players arrested in connection with the alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old schoolgirl in a London hotel.

British media were able to identify the two players after the attorney-general lifted a ban on naming them.

The two players were arrested on October 10 and released on bail after providing police with DNA samples.

A total of four men have been arrested in connection with the alleged rape. None of them have yet been charged with any offence. A decision on whether any of the four men are prosecuted will be made in the next few weeks.

Cole, 19, is currently playing for Charlton on loan from Chelsea. Bramble, 22, is regarded as one of the best young centrebacks in the country. They have both denied any wrongdoing.

One of the other men arrested in the case, Nicholas Meikle, 29, a party organiser who is friendly with several leading players, last month claimed the girl had consented to sex with him and a number of his friends.

Meikle claimed such group sex sessions, known as 'roasting', were not uncommon among wealthy young English footballers.

Although no charges have been brought, the case and subsequent revelations about the lifestyle of some players has helped to fuel a wave of public revulsion which has severely damaged the image of the national sport.

The alleged gang rape in London coincided with a separate case in the north of England which has led to Leeds United midfielder Jody Morris, 24, being charged with raping a 20-year-old woman.

In another incident to tarnish football's image, West Brom midfielder Lee Hughes was arrested yesterday after allegedly leaving the scene of a car accident in which a 56-year-old man died.